Rocking chair



Nov. 19, 1940.

P. WALENTA ROCKING CHAIR Filed Aug. 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor- 'F'.WaI Ian-ta .WZ m H't'tElTlTLEHS P. WALENTA ROCKING CHAIR Nov. 19, 1940.

Filed Aug. 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Q. 4 2.9: Ow M E v 0 n I 'FiwaIen-tel Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I ROCKING CHAIR Paul Walenta, Sturtevant, Wis.

' Application August 17, 1939, Serial No. 290,609

2 Claims.

This invention relates to rocking chairs, and is an improvement over my prior Patent No. 2,046,858, issued to me July '7, 1936.

: In my prior patent, effort was madetoprovide a chair having the appearance of an ordinary easy parlor, den, or living room chair, but having the desirable attributes of a rocking chair. Such chair met with the great approval of the trade and was favorably accepted. However, the chairs had to contend with certain un favorable manufacturingcosts (as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out) and sat too high for the ordinary person.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a chairwhich will have an improved rocking motion, one that will be compact and durable and sit lower tothe ground, and one which can be economically manufactured and placed upon the market at a desirable price.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a stationary base and a chair frame rockably connected'therewith, the frame being hollow and of a size to seat over and entirely receive and encompass the base, whereby such base will be fully hidden from view (with the exception of the feet), and whereby the chair frame can be conveniently and economically upholstered, and whereby the frame will sit low 30. tothe ground.

A further important object of my invention is to provide an underslung suspension for the chair frame, and to provide novelly arranged coil springs for connecting the chair frame to 35. the base, whereby to insure correct rocking motion and to limit both front and back movement of the chair frame, and to eliminate any shock at the end of the rocking motion, and the necessity of providing cushioned shock absorbers at the front and back of the chair.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention, and

prior to the upholstering thereof.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the chair, taken on the line 33 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the chair, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 isa transverse sectional view through the chair, taken on the line 55 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows. '8

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail, transverse, sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4, lookin in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the improved underslung suspension for the chair frame. 10

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates a chair constructed in accordance with my invention, and the same includes a stationary base Hi and a rocking chair frame 20.

The stationary base I0 includes front and rear rails H and I2 connected together by flat, longitudinally extending, side rails I3 and M. The 20 base H) can be mounted on any preferred type of legs or feet 15. As the baseisentirely hidden from view, withthe exception of the feet IS, the necessity for finishing such base is eliminated.

The chair frame 26 is preferably of a box- 26 like construction and-is of such a size as to entirely receive and encompass the base l0. Thus, the chair frame 20 includes longitudinally extending, vertically disposed side boards or pieces 2| and a connecting front board or piece 22. I0 As is clearly illustrated, the side pieces or boards 2| extend alongside the side rails l3 and Id of the base and terminate slightly below the lower edges of said side'rail s. Likewise, the front board or piece 22 lies in front of and inspaced relation 35 to the front rail H and extends slightly below or equal with the lower edge of said front rail N. All of the boards or pieces 2| and 22 extend a considerable distance above the base, so that the seat of the chair frame can be conveniently m and luxuriously upholstered. v

The rear ends of the side pieces or boards 2| carry the back frame 23, and the back frame is connected to the side boards 2| of the seat frame by suitable arms 24.- The seat frame and back canalso be braced in any preferred manner, such as by transverse pieces 25 and 26.

Extending tranversely across the stationary base intermediate the front and rear edges 50 thereof is a supporting shaft 21. The shaft 21 is securely anchored to the base in any preferred manner, such as by the employance of bolts 28.

If desired, the ends of the shaft 2'! can protrude slightly beyond the sides of the base, and the ends of the shaft receive machine screws 29, on which are mounted anti-friction bearings 30.

Depending from the anti-friction bearings 30 and firmly secured thereto are supporting angle irons 3|, which lie in close facial engagement with the inner and lower surfaces of the side pieces or boards 2| of the seat frame. Any desired type of screw 32 can be employed for connecting the angle irons 3| to the lower edges of the seat frame.

From the description so far, it can be seen that I have provided a chair in which the chair frame is fitted over, receives, and encompasses a stationary base, and that the chair frame is connected to said stationary base by an improved underslung ball bearing suspension.

By my novel construction and arrangement,

the chair can be conveniently and expeditiously upholstered and fitted with the desired cushions.

In my prior patent where the chair frame sat above and on top of the stationary base, it was necessary to accurately fit and secure depending enclosure plates to the chair frame. Not only was it expensive to fit and secure the depending closure plates to the chair frame, but the same had to be relatively thin, and the front enclosure plate acted as an abutment against the base, and these enclosure plates were hard to treat and could not be upholstered in a desirable manner.

With the side pieces 2| and the front piece 22, the desired upholstering can be accomplished, and any preferred effects carried out, and the abutment at the front is entirely eliminated. In conjunction with my new type of chair, I eliminate the heavy loop springs employed in my original patent. With such type of springs, cushion shock absorbers had to be arranged at the front and rear of the chair to limit the front and back swinging movement of the chair frame. Naturally, these shock absorbing members cost money and entail considerable time in the placing thereof in the correct position. Thus, in accordance with my invention, I now employ spiral coil springs 33 at the front of the chair. The lower ends of the coil springs 33 are firmly anchored to the front of the base by means of attaching brackets 34, and the upper ends of the springs are firmly secured to the rocking chair frame by inwardly extending brackets 35, which are firmly secured to the inner faces of the side pieces or boards 2| of the seat frame of the chair.

By utilizing the spiral coil springs 33, the same function in the triple capacity of balancing the chair, and for limiting the front and back swinging movement of the chair. Hence, these coil springs eliminate shock of the stopping of the chair at the front and back, and eliminate the necessity of providing cushion shock absorbers at the front and back of the chair.

While I have shown two coil springs 33 in the front of the chair and arranged adjacent the corners thereof, it is to be understood that on some types of chairs (such as childrens chairs) a single coil spring can be utilized and disposed at the front of the chair intermediate the sides,

thereof.

For convenience in assembling the various parts of the chair, the side pieces 2| can be provided with openings 36, and these openings facilitate the connection of the machine screws 29 with the shaft 21 when the chair frame is placed over the base.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have now provided an exceptionally simple, compact, and durable form of rocking chair in which the base is entirely encompassed in a novel and economical manner.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. An upholstered rocking chair having the appearance of a stationary living room chair comprising, an inner frame including side rails, connecting rails, and supporting feet forming a stationary rectangular base, an outer frame of greater size than the inner frame fitting over, encompassing, and receiving the inner frame, means supporting the sides of the outer frame on the inner frame for free rocking movement, spring means between the inner and outer frames normally holding the outer frame balanced on the inner frame and resisting rocking movement of the outer frame, said outer frame including'front and side board members and a back cross member connecting the side board members together, said front and side board members being of substantially uniform thickness throughout to form a hollow rectangular seat frame, which loosely telescopes over the adjacent outer faces of the inner frame to conceal said inner frame from view when the said frame is in its normal inactive position, whereby a low, compact rocking structure will be had in which the front and side board members have inner, substantially flat, vertical faces to lie in close relation to the adjacent vertical, fiat faces of the adjacent rails of the inner frame.

2. Ina living room rocking chair of the upholstered type, an inner frame including side rails, connecting rails, and supporting feet forming a stationary rectangular base, an outer frame of greater size than the inner frame fitting over and receiving the inner frame, means rockably connecting the outer frame to the inner frame, said outer frame including front and side board members and a back cross member connecting the side board members, said front and side board members having inner, substantially vertical, flat faces, and said board members being of substantially uniform thickness throughout to form a hollow, rectangular seat frame which loosely telescopes over the adjacent faces of the inner frame to conceal said inner frame from view when the seat frame is in its normal inactive position, whereby a low, compact rocking structure will be had, said rockable connection including a cross shaft connected to the sides of the base frame, and hanger brackets depending from the ends of the shaft and disposed between the base frame and the seat frame, having outwardly extending, right-angularly disposed supporting flanges on their lower ends extending under and secured to the lower edges of the side members of the seat frame.

PAUL WALENTA. 

